A Call for a National Policy of Scheduled Dialysis and Transplantation for All People With Kidney Failure Living in the United States
Authors: M. Catalina Morales Alvarez, Sylvia E. Rosas
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2023)

EditorialsJune 2023A Call for a National Policy of Scheduled Dialysis and Transplantation for All People With Kidney Failure Living in the United StatesM. Catalina Morales Alvarez, MD, and Sylvia E. Rosas, MD, MSCEM. Catalina Morales Alvarez, MDBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MassachusettsSearch for more papers by this author, and Sylvia E. Rosas, MD, MSCEKidney and Hypertension Unit, Joslin Diabetes Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MassachusettsSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M23-0838 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail On 1 July 2023, we will mark the 50th anniversary of the End-Stage Renal Disease Amendment to the Social Security Act (Public Law 92-603) going into effect. This benefit allows U.S. citizens under age 65 years to have access to lifesaving kidney failure therapies such as dialysis and transplantation paid by Medicare (1). Unfortunately, undocumented immigrants are ineligible for federal health coverage by the Medicare program or the federal health insurance marketplace under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Therefore, they either access private health coverage, often limited by its high costs, or they most commonly remain uninsured awaiting ...References1. Raghavan R. New opportunities for funding dialysis-dependent undocumented individuals. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017;12:370-375. [PMID: 27577244] doi:10.2215/CJN.03680316 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Rizzolo K, Dubey M, Feldman K, et al. Access to kidney care for undocumented immigrants across the United States. Ann Intern Med. 2023;176:877-879. doi:10.7326/M23-0202 LinkGoogle Scholar3. Capps R, Gelatt J, Van Hook J, et al. Commentary on “The number of undocumented immigrants in the United States: Estimates based on demographic modeling with data from 1990-2016”. PLoS One. 2018;13:e0204199. [PMID: 30240444] doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0204199 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Duffin E. Illegal immigrants in the U.S. 2019, by state. Statista. 12 December 2022. Accessed at www.statista.com/statistics/629682/state-populations-of-illegal-immigrants-in-the-united-states-2014 on 13 March 2023. Google Scholar5. United States Renal Data System. 2022 USRDS Annual Data Report: Epidemiology of Kidney Disease in the United States. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2022. Accessed at https://usrds-adr.niddk.nih.gov/2022 on 13 March 2023. Google Scholar6. Rodriguez R, Cervantes L, Raghavan R. Estimating the prevalence of undocumented immigrants with end-stage renal disease in the United States. Clin Nephrol. 2020;93:108-112. [PMID: 31426911] doi:10.5414/CNP92S119 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Nguyen OK, Vazquez MA, Charles L, et al. Association of scheduled vs emergency-only dialysis with health outcomes and costs in undocumented immigrants with end-stage renal disease. JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179:175-183. [PMID: 30575859] doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.5866 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Desai N, Lora CM, Lash JP, et al. CKD and ESRD in US Hispanics. Am J Kidney Dis. 2019;73:102-111. [PMID: 29661541] doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2018.02.354 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Manns B, Hemmelgarn B, Tonelli M, et al ; for Canadians Seeking Solutions and Innovations to Overcome Chronic Kidney Disease . The cost of care for people with chronic kidney disease. Can J Kidney Health Dis. 2019;6:2054358119835521. [PMID: 31057803] doi:10.1177/2054358119835521 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Cervantes CE. Stop denying kidney transplants to non-citizens. Nature. 2023;615:S5. [PMID: 36890361] doi:10.1038/d41586-023-00649-2 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: M. Catalina Morales Alvarez, MD; Sylvia E. Rosas, MD, MSCEAffiliations: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MassachusettsKidney and Hypertension Unit, Joslin Diabetes Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MassachusettsDisclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M23-0838.Corresponding Author: Sylvia E. Rosas, MD, MSCE, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, One Joslin Place, Boston, MA 02215; e-mail, sylvia.[email protected]harvard.edu.This article was published at Annals.org on 25 April 2023. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAccess to Kidney Care for Undocumented Immigrants Across the United States Katherine Rizzolo , Manisha Dubey , Katherine E. Feldman , Neil R. Powe , Lilia Cervantes Metrics Current IssueJune 2023Volume 176, Issue 6Page: 872-873KeywordsEnd stage kidney diseaseKidneysMedical dialysisRenal failureRenal transplantation ePublished: 25 April 2023 Issue Published: June 2023 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2023 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...